Former Turkish Representative: PKK and its Sub-Branch are under the protection of United States and Israel

 

Based on Mizan News Agency, according to the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch, PKK commanders handed over their weapons after Abdullah Ocalan announced the dissolution of the group and reached an agreement with the Turkish government. This event took place immediately after Ocalan’s second statement on the end of the PKK’s activities and the beginning of the peace process with Turkey. The location of this weapons surrender is of great symbolic importance, as this is the site where the Kurdistan Workers’ Party was founded more than 40 years ago, and thousands of PKK elements were stationed there at that time.

One of the key steps in the peace process was the recent handover and disarmament of the group. The next steps involve political and legal issues, as PKK members face numerous legal cases in Turkey and other countries that need to be resolved.

Regarding the process of disarming the P. K. K., which is considered one of the most important events in Turkish political history, an interview was conducted with Ali Özgündüz, a lawyer and former representative of the Republican People’s Party of Turkey in the country’s parliament, the details of which are given below:

1- Can the PKK’s official disarmament be considered the end of an era of armed conflict or is it just a new tactic aimed at redefining the group’s regional role?

The process that began last October with the initiative of Mr. Bahçeli, the head of the Turkish Nationalist Party, and which the Republican Alliance called “Turkey without terrorism” and the Democratic Party called “peaceful and democratic society”, can be considered the end of the armed conflict period, because the result of this process was the symbolic burning of weapons by a group of PKK terrorists in the rural area of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, after the call of Öcalan, the head of the PKK terrorist organization, and the announcement of the dissolution of the PKK by holding a congress.

In fact, PKK members, who now call themselves the “Peace and Democratic Society Group,” have openly declared that their future struggle will be carried out “with democratic political and legal methods” and in line with the call of APU (Abdullah Ocalan).

2- What is your analysis of the timing of this disarmament announcement? Why now? Did pressure from foreign powers or behind-the-scenes agreements with Ankara play a role in this decision?

The PKK has long been unable to operate inside Turkey. The terrorist organization, which is headquartered in the Qandil Mountains, also reorganized itself as the YPG, an affiliate of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in northern Syria during the conflict that began in 2010. With the support of the United States and Israel, the group moved its headquarters and weapons to Syria.

Therefore, I think that due to regional developments, especially the presence of the YPG in northern Syria on the Turkish border, which has been equipped with tens of thousands of trucks of ammunition by the United States – which is a serious threat to our country (Turkey) – and on the other hand, seeing the PKK being used as a tool by the imperialists and Zionists, the process of disarming the PKK has accelerated.

3- Given the structural dependence of the PJAK, YPG, and Iraqi branches on the PKK, do you expect these groups to also disarm? Does Türkiye have any desire to separate the PKK branches?

Yes, the terrorist organizations known as the PKK, PJAK, and YPG are actually a single organization.

Therefore, from our (Türkiye’s) perspective, all elements of this organization must be disarmed in order to achieve our goals.

However, in a statement issued in Damascus after a meeting between US Ambassador to Turkey and US Special Representative for Syria Tom Barrack and Mazloum Abdi and Ahmed Sara, known as YPG commanders, it was announced that the YPG and Tahrir al-Sham, which has taken over the Syrian government, cannot reach an agreement on “unification of forces” and that there are serious differences of opinion.

This situation shows that the YPG will not lay down its arms. They will either join the newly established Syrian armed forces, or, as is currently happening, they will continue to exist as a structure similar to the Peshmerga in Iraq.

This situation, of course, has negative consequences for us and the countries in the region, because the YPG is essentially the ground force of America, and therefore Israel, in Syria.

4- What role do you see for powers such as the United States, Russia, or some European countries in shaping this disarmament process? Is this decision the result of international pressure or a regional deal?

It is obvious that the process that is currently underway is being carried out entirely by the government partners, the Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Party of Turkey – as well as by Öcalan, the PKK (Kandil) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (Dem Parti), and no other government or regime is involved.

However, this organization, which has changed its name and announced that it will fight through politics, will definitely continue its relations and contacts with the United States, the European Union, and regional powers in the future.

5- Will the disarmament process include a plan for the safe return and rehabilitation of former PKK members? Or is it only the operational part of the group?

From now on, the legal infrastructure of this process will be prepared by a commission to be established under the supervision of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and efforts such as the return and reintegration of members of terrorist organizations who have not been involved in terrorist acts, as well as the waiving of the departure of other terrorists to other countries, will be carried out by the relevant institutions.

It seems impossible for the PKK to resume its activities after this stage. Even if some of its elements show a desire to continue their activities, they will not be able to establish a base or recruit militants.

Regardless of the issues related to Türkiye’s national security, this interview again shows that terrorist groups in the region are supported by the US and Israel, and regional politicians also confirm this.